Russia’s missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky (Peter the Great) along with a Chinese vessel will escort Danish and Norwegian ships taking Syria’s chemical weapons out of the war-torn country, a spokesman for the joint Danish-Norwegian operation has said.

The Russian vessel and a Chinese frigate, Yan Cheng, won't be
under Danish-Norwegian command, but will be coordinating closely
with the other ships, Maj. Eystein Kvarving said.

"The four ships have now set a course toward a holding area
in international water outside Syria, so we are most ready to
enter the port of Latakia when the order arrives," he said
as quoted by Reuters. In Latakia, the vessels and their warship
escorts are to pick up more than 1,000 tons of chemical agents.

Russia’s decision to provide an escort ship for the removal of
chemical weapons was initially announced on December 24. In
addition to that, 75 armored trucks were delivered to Syria,
along with $2 million in funds and other equipment to be used for
the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal, Russian
Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

The Danish and Norwegian naval vessels, whose mission is to
transport Syria’s deadly material for destruction, are now ready
to head for Syrian waters to transport a delayed shipment of
chemicals.

It’s the second attempt by the Scandinavian vessels. The first
bid was postponed due to security worries, putting the operation
behind the schedule approved by the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapon (OPCW). According to the plan, the
most dangerous chemical components should have been removed from
the country by the end of 2013.

On December 31, the Norwegian and Danish ships were ready to
transport Syria's chemical weapons but had to return to their
port in Cyprus. The delay was blamed on the poor security
situation. On December 20, Islamist rebels started a heated
battle near a chemical facility in Syria, the Russian Foreign
Ministry said.

However, the OPCW officials themselves remain optimistic about
the disarmament plan, saying they see “very strong”
progress in the operation and there is "a clear determination
by all parties to achieve success."

"This operation is difficult but it's do-able," said
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control
Association. "It's safe and it should be done carefully, and
that's more important than doing it quickly."

US vessel setting out ‘within two weeks’ to destroy Syrian
chemicals

The Scandinavian group will deliver the hazardous material to the
US cargo ship MV Cape Ray, stationed in Italy, after which the
load will destroyed in international waters. The actual work
could probably be done in 45 days under ideal conditions, but the
mission is now expected to last about 90 days because of bad
weather, Frank Kendall, US Under Secretary of Defense for
Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, said Thursday.

MV Cape Ray is set to leave for the Mediterranean "within
about two weeks,” Kendall added. US authorities decided on
November 30 to send the ship.

Two massive hydrolysis units aimed at weapons destruction will
neutralize 700 tons of chemical weapons, including mustard gas
and sarin, a form of nerve gas, the US Defense Department says.

Though the units had never been tested under conditions at sea,
the technology has been used for a decade on US soil, and there
is “no mystery about the process," Kendall says.

The chemically altered agents can then be processed by commercial
firms that deal with hazardous waste. Seven hundred tons of
chemicals, when run through the hydrolysis system, would produce
1.5 million gallons of effluents to be processed by hazardous
waste firms, officials said.

The deadly material is expected to be picked right before the
Russia-backed Geneva-2 conference which will be held January 22
this year. The peace talks are seen by international powers as
the only option that can yield success in resolving the more than
two-year-long conflict in Syria.